Ingleborough and Clapham Commons, Craven
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INGLEBOROUGH AND CLAPHAM COMMONS, CRAVEN NORTH YORKSHIRE Archaeological Survey Report Oxford Archaeology North May 2014 Yorkshire Peat Partnership Issue No: 2013-14/1494 OA North Job No: L10674 NGR: SD 746 730 (centred) Ingleborough and Clapham Commons, Craven, North Yorkshire, Archaeological Survey Report 1 CONTENTS SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................3 1. I NTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................4 1.1 Circumstances of the Project.................................................................................4 1.2 Site Location, Geology and Topography ..............................................................4 2. M ETHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................6 2.1 Project Design .......................................................................................................6 2.2 Documentary Research..........................................................................................6 2.3 Landscape Survey..................................................................................................6 2.4 Archive..................................................................................................................7 3. H ISTORICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................................8 3.1 Background ...........................................................................................................8 3.2 Prehistoric..............................................................................................................8 3.3 Medieval to Post-Medieval .................................................................................13 3.4 Map regression....................................................................................................15 4. S URVEY RESULTS .........................................................................................................18 4.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................18 4.2 Monument Summary...........................................................................................18 4.3 Prehistoric Monuments........................................................................................19 5. P EAT ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................35 5.1 Peat Assessment..................................................................................................35 5.2 Discussion ...........................................................................................................37 6. D ISCUSSION ...................................................................................................................39 6.1 Discussion ...........................................................................................................39 6.2 Assessment of Archaeological Constraints.........................................................40 7. B IBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................................41 7.1 Cartographic Sources ..........................................................................................41 7.2 Secondary Sources ..............................................................................................41 APPENDIX 1: P ROJECT BRIEF ...........................................................................................43 APPENDIX 2: P ROJECT DESIGN ........................................................................................51 APPENDIX 3: G AZETTEER OF SITES .................................................................................57 ILLUSTRATIONS ...............................................................................................................101 For the use of Yorkshire Peat Partnership © OA North: May 2014 Ingleborough and Clapham Commons, Craven, North Yorkshire, Archaeological Survey Report 2 SUMMARY Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) were invited by Yorkshire Peat Partnership to undertake an archaeological landscape survey and an assessment of peat restoration works on an area of moorland on Ingleborough and Clapham commons in Craven, North Yorkshire (SD 746 730). The work was undertaken to provide an assessment of the archaeological impact of this restoration programme. The survey was undertaken as an enhanced Level 1-type survey over an area of 7.62 km 2. In total, 168 features of archaeological interest were identified across the survey area, and included a broad range of monuments from prehistoric field-systems and rock art to Iron Age hillforts and Post-Medieval limekilns. The sites identified within the survey area during the survey can be divided into six broad categories: prehistoric settlement and funerary remains; later domestic and stock management; boundary markers; extraction industries; shooting; and miscellaneous land use. Most of the sites are difficult to date closely in the absence of additional data from documentary sources or archaeological excavation, but include a substantial number of features that have been dated to the prehistoric period; the remainder are most likely to date to the post-medieval (1540-1750), industrial (1750-1914) or modern periods. Despite extensive investigation of 10% of the grips and the exposed peat hag sections, no prehistoric dated flints were retrieved during the present survey. Nine sites were identified as being potentially directly impacted upon by the proposed works. Six sites ( 1, 7, 8, 11 , 15 , 16 and 75 ) were located within areas of hagged gullies or bare peat. Only two sites were located either directly on, or immediately adjacent to, open grips (Sites 24 and 66 ). Eleven sites were identified as being potentially impacted upon by the proposed works as they lay within 40m of open grips (Sites 18 -20 , 23 , 47 , 48 , 128 , 137 - 139 and 155 ). Few of the identified sites are likely to be susceptible to damage as a result of work to block the drainage grips, as they are relatively robust earthwork features. Most of the identified sites were remote from the areas of grips and would therefore be unaffected by gripping operations. However, this is dependent upon earthworks being avoided by vehicles and machines, and these areas not being used to generate material for the infilling of grips. Any tracked vehicles and earth movement should avoid defined archaeological features, in particular special attention should be given to avoid impacts to elements of the prehistoric co-axial field-systems, boundaries and enclosures, the areas surrounding extant rock art panels and funerary and ring cairns. The isolated nature of archaeological sites/structures located in the areas of greatest concentration of grips and/or erosion should make it relatively easy to avoid such structures. In particular, attention should be given to avoid any impact to the summit cairn on Little Ingleborough (Site 12 ) that is close to areas of extensive peat erosion. Likewise, one area of erosion (Site 16 ) located on the south flank of Little Ingleborough has been defined as an area of historic peat cutting. For the use of Yorkshire Peat Partnership © OA North: May 2014 Ingleborough and Clapham Commons, Craven, North Yorkshire, Archaeological Survey Report 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Oxford Archaeology North would like to thank Tessa Levens of the Yorkshire Peat Partnership for commissioning the project, and Miles Johnson of Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) for advice and for the provision of Historic Environment Record (HER) data. We would also like to thank Mr and Mrs Jarman for enabling access onto the commons. The outline documentary search was undertaken by Alastair Vannan. The landscape survey was undertaken by Peter Schofield and Andy Phelps, and the palaeoenvironmental sampling and assessment undertaken by Mairead Rutherford. The report was written by Peter Schofield, Alastair Vannan, Helen Quartermaine and Jamie Quartermaine. Peter Schofield produced the illustrations. The report was edited by Jamie Quartermaine, who also managed the project. For the use of Yorkshire Peat Partnership © OA North: May 2014 Ingleborough and Clapham Commons, Craven, North Yorkshire, Archaeological Survey Report 4 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PROJECT 1.1.1 Following proposals to undertake a programme of peat restoration works at Ingleborough/Clapham Common, North Yorkshire (SD 746730), the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) commissioned OA North to undertake a programme of landscape survey and an impact assessment over an area of 7.62 km 2. The restoration works will include the blocking of twentieth-century grips using machine-cut plugs. The survey was intended to provide pre-intervention records of archaeological remains in the area, highlighting where unnecessary damage to features of archaeological interest may result from the cutting of peat plugs and where damage that might be caused by tracked excavators could be avoided. The currently exposed sections of eroded grips provide an opportunity to gauge the palaeoenvironmental value of the peat, including the recovery of sample ecofacts.